That’s right, this month and next we’re focusing our attention on the incredible edible egg!

Of course, this is a great ingredient to feature at this time of year, with Easter just around the corner. But beyond that, I’m really excited to feature eggs because they are such a versatile ingredient.

I often take our featured ingredients as a challenge to try new recipes and ideas. This month we’ll bring you main dishes and desserts, side dishes and snacks, and cocktails! Yes, we’ll be cracking a raw egg into the cocktail shaker and giving it a go. If that’s not dedication to this little blog side project, then I don’t know what is.

History

When it comes to eggs, we all know what they are. But do you know how long humans have been consuming eggs? It’s believed that people have been eating eggs since there were “people” (anywhere from 3-6 million years ago!). The egg is a protein-packed meal without defenses, making them an easy target for both people and other animals. While we’ve been eating eggs forever, it was some 7000  years ago that chickens were domesticated in China and India. It was another 4000+ years until domesticated chickens spread through Asia to Egypt and Europe.

Nutrition  & Health

Ahh, this is a (sometimes) controversial topic, isn’t it? Sometimes eggs are considered these perfect little packages of protein, a bit of fat, and minerals. Other times they’re cholesterol bombs that are going to go off and give us a heart attack at any minute! What are we to do?

Well, given that Sarah and I are prone to moderation with a healthy dose of indulgence, we’re eating the eggs!… but what’s really in them?

The average large egg has about 75 calories, and almost equal amounts of protein (6g) to fat (5g). The egg contains a wide mix of vitamins and minerals, but most notable are choline, a mix of B Vitamins, Vitamin D, phosphorous, and zinc. There is no nutritional difference between eggs with different colored shells, BUT chickens with different diets can produce eggs of differing qualities.

One issue that often comes up when handling eggs is the possibility of bacterial exposure, particularly Salmonella. The risk of infection is dependent upon the living conditions of the birds, how the eggs are handled after they are laid, and how they are handled during cooking. BUT the good news is that a 2002 study by the US Department of Agriculture found that only every 1 out of 30,000 eggs tested positive for salmonella. That was on the shell, so if the egg is properly handled and cooked, that would further reduce any risk of infection.

The presence of salmonella is so low because in US commercial operations the eggs are washed with a sanitizing solution within minutes of being laid… so, yes, there will definitely be some raw egg consumption in our posts. Jump off that bridge at your own risk.

In the Kitchen

Eggs are useful for a wide variety of different purposes in the kitchen.

The lecithin in egg yolks is an emulsifying agent, allowing it to bind together fats with water-based ingredients. For example, the yolks are used to bind the oil to the vinegar and lemon juice in mayonnaise.

Yolks are also a common thickening agent. On the blog we’ve used them as thickeners in puddings (see: banana cream pie & pumpkin pudding).

The white of the egg is often used for the protein’s ability to be whipped into a foam that can hold its shape.  This is essential for meringues and soufflés.  And also important for some cakes that rely on whipped whites for their their shape (angel food is a common example).

And then, of course, there’s the whole egg. It can be fried, boiled, pickled… so much fun stuff for us to get into this season.

What’s your favorite way to prepare or use eggs in the kitchen? We’d love to hear about it. What about out of the kitchen? Any fun experiments that you want to send our way?